Cheesey,
Glad things worked out for you, didn't see this topic till yesterday, hope you get most of your deposit back, if not definately hire an attorney, I don't have a lot of experience in renters rights, but I do believe if your old landlord tries to hold back some of the deposit, you can play hard ball and get her for more than just the security deposit.
You mentioned the stress and just the plain hassle of having to move so quickly. A good attorney can use these to your advantage.
The little experience I have is helping my landlord with evictions, believe me if you really wanted to be an asshole about it, you could have refused to move and refused to pay the rent and probably lived there for another 2-3 months.
I know it has taken my landlord up to 90 days before being able to evict a renter who hadn't paid their rent.
I know you weren't trying to not pay her, she probably has someone who needed a place and will be able to get more rent out of that person.
Hope you get the chance to take her to court and get back more than just your security deposit.
Now I know you are a singer, when I first started reading this, for some reason Billy Ray Cyrus came to mind......next competition you need to sing "Where am I gonna live when I get home"....lol, would be perfect you could tell your story and sing the song, the crowd would love it!!!
Again, glad things worked out for you, hope you enjoy your new place!!!!
I was addicted to The Hokey Pokey, but I turned myself around!